The beginning of 2015 has seen changes in the state of New York for electronic cigarettes. The state of New York legalized medical marijuana in the summer of 2014, becoming the 23rd state to do so. In late 2014, TheHuffingtonPost.com reported that the state could legalize recreational marijuana as early as 2015.

E-cigarettes have experienced some resistance in the early months of 2015 when it became illegal in Buffalo to use electronic cigarettes in any venue that has a city ban on smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes. This does not outlaw e-cigarettes, it simply mirrors tobacco laws that already exist concerning where you are and where you are not allowed to vape.

Buffalo is charting new waters here, since it is the first community in Erie County to impose regulations on e-cigs. Erie County is currently considering restrictions that are similar to those used in other cities across the country; such as, Chicago and New York City.

The ban that has been decided upon so far takes effect immediately. E-cigarettes are now banned in city schools, public transportation, public elevators, large retail and wholesale businesses and in city-owned and leased buildings. In addition to this, Buffalo is reinforcing the existing law that makes it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to any individual under 18 years old.

The main problem that still exists is that marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, even though many states have legalized medical marijuana and some have even legalized recreational marijuana. Because of this, no tests have been done on the long-term effects of using e-cigarettes – which contain nicotine.

E-cigarettes have become popular due to the marketing strategy that has been used. The industry has presented them as a way to successfully stop smoking traditional cigarettes by slowly lowering the amounts of nicotine contained in the e-cig over time. The various flavors that one can purchase to vape also make this product very attractive.

Issues have already arisen with e-cigarettes. The numerous flavors available, like bubble gum, have made the product attractive to adolescents that should not be able to obtain the product legally (it is illegal to sell the product to someone under the age of 18). Others have experienced health issues even though they have successfully been able to stop smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes by using e-cigarettes.

For example, Barbara Poff, a Buffalo e-cigarette user, supports the new regulations the county has imposed. While e-cigarettes have helped her quit smoking traditional cigarettes, she revealed that she has been experiencing stomach problems over the past year. She informed The Buffalo News that she thinks the health issues stem from the liquid in the electronic cigarettes.

Over time, more research will need to be done on the effects of using e-cigarettes. Until more information is obtained and the industry grows, it will be considered a “high risk” industry in the eyes of traditional financial systems; thus, if you are trying to start a business in the industry, you will experience problems in finding funding and payment processing solutions.

Fortunately, payment providers like eMerchantBroker.com offer electronic cigarette merchant accounts for businesses in this industry. If you are a start-up or a current business in the industry, you might want to consider applying for an electronic cigarette merchant account. The process is simple, fast and hassle free.